Sharpening device



P. W. STRONG.

SHARPENIN (No Model.)

G DE VIGE.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRESTON \VILLIS STROX Jr, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

SHARPENING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,052, dated May 12, 1896.

Application filed May 22,1895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LPRESTON WILLIs STRONG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sharpening Tools, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawin forming part hereof.

This invention relates to tools or devices adapted for sharpening metal articles, such as skates, scissors, &c., and is embodied in a case, box, or holder, which I shall herein denominate as the holder, and a file surfaced or emery plate or block, an oil-stone, or other plate, block, or stone having an abrading-surface, which I shall herein denominate as the abrading-plate, such abrading-plate being ad j ustably held in the hold er, and the holder being provided with an opening or openings permitting contact of the abrading-plat'e and the article to be sharpened, and with guides controllingthe relative positions of the sharpening-tool and the article to be sharpened during the sharpening operation-that is to say, guiding the article and sharpening-tool as they are moved or rubbed in contact with each other or one is moved or rubbed in contact with the other.

The improved sharpening device is so constructed that no tools are necessary for its manipulation or for the adjustment of its abrading-surface, so as to bring fresh surfaces into contact with the article, or for the reversal of the abrading-plate so as to bring its reverse face into contact with the article, or for the removal of a worn or (lulled abradingplate and the substitution of a new abradingplate therefor, as the abrading-plate is held with a yielding spring-pressure in the holder, and is so held that the use of the sharpening device will not disturb or dislodge the abradiug-plate from the position to which it has been adjusted; but nevertheless th e abradingplate may be readily and quickly adjusted, reversed, removed, or replaced by hand whenever desired.

My invention also includes, in the embodiment thereof as a skate-sharpener, a handle and a pivotal connection between said holder and handle, whereby the abrading-surface is allowed to follow the curvature of the lower Serial No. 550,186. (No model.)

surface of the skate blade or runner; and my invention also includes other features which will now be set forth in describing the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments of the invention in a skate-sharpener and scissors-sharpener.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a skate-sharpener embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but partly in' section. Fig. 3 is an end view of the skatesharpener and also partly shows in section a skate-runner upon which the sharpener is held in operative position. Fig. 4 is a face view of a file-surfaced abrading-plate. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a scissors-sharpener embodying my invention, showing in section a scissors-blade held in operative position thereupon. Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section of part of the scissors-sharpener. Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the scissors-sharpener, and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 9 is aface view of a slightly-modified abradingplate.

The abrading-surfaces may be the two opposite faces of a plate or block or stone, preferably a steel plate a, having roughened upper and lower surfaces or provided with fileteeth and, as shown, having file-teeth extending obliquely across its upper surface, (see Fig. 4,) whereby an oblique or draw-filing action is had upon the article. The lower surface of the abrading-plate may be in all respects the same as the upper surface thereof, or one surface or part of either surface may be adapted for a coarse or rough preliminary sharpening operation and the other surface or other parts of either surface may be adapted for a smooth and fine finishing sharpening operation. This is illustrated in Fig. 9, which shows a file-plate having an abradingsurface made up of coarse and fine fileteeth,half of the surface having coarse file-teeth and the other half fine file-teeth. But a small portion of one face of the abrading-plate is in operative position at one time, and when this portion becomes worn or dulled a fresh surface may be brought into operative position, as hereinafter described, and when all of one surface becomes worn or dulled the plate may be reversed and thus a new surface brought into use, or witha plate having coarse and fine file-teeth the plate may be readily shifted or reversed to bring one or the other set of teeth into operative position. In some cases but one surface of the plate may be roughened or provided with file-teeth; but the doublesurfaced plate will usually be employed.

The holder 1) is preferably of spring sheet metal, as spring brass, iron, or steel, and is bent preferably to the form of a rectangular box open at both ends, and in the skate-sharpener I propose to make the box entirely open at the bottom, and in the scissors-sharpener I propose to partly form the bottom of the box or holder Z) by narrow ledges c 0 along each side, so as to give a sufficiently firm bearing on a flat surface, while permitting access to the abrading-plate a, and thus the sides of the box, not being joined together at the bot tom, are free to act as springs. The sides of the box or holder b have longitudinal grooves or guides (Z (Z, formed therein by angular bends of the sheet-metal sides of the holder, and the abrading-plate a is held at opposite edges within these grooves (Z d in the sides of the holder and extends across from side to side of the holder, and the width of the abrading-plate a is such that when the abradingplate is within the holder the sides of the holder at the bottoms of the grooves (Z (Z in the sides of the holder exert a spring-pressure to hold the abrading-plate in place. hen the abrading-plate is to be inserted or removed or moved within the holder, the spring sides of the holder may be sprung apart by hand and without any tools and the abradingplate will then move freely in the grooves of the holder and may be inserted, removed, or shifted in position as desired, and when the sides of the holder are released they will spring against and tightly hold the abrading-plate in the position to which it has been moved or will slightly approach each other if the abrading-plate has been removed. Thus all desired adjustments of the abrading-plate may be readily and quickly performed by hand without the use of tools.

In the skate-sharpener shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the spring action is largely confined to one side only of the holder and the other side is made comparatively stiff by suitable bracing, and thereby ample spring holdin g action is secured,and in the scissors-sharpener both sides are freely spring-acting, and it is of course evident that each of these constructions is within my invention.

The direction of the relative movement of the article to be sharpened and the sharpening tool or device is substantially at right angles to the direction in which abradingplate a is moved when adjusting it within the holder 1), and thus the sharpening operation has no tendency to disturb the adjustment of the abrading-plate within the holder. Suitable transverse grooves or openings are provided in the holder to permit the article to be sharpened to come into contact with the abrading-surface, and in the skate-sharpener a sufiioient opening is made in the holder from the bottom upward to the abradingplate, and with sufficient clearance of the lower surface of the abrading-plate, by slitting the sheet-metal sides and bending portions of them nearly at right angles, so as to form spring-wings e e,with su iiieient distance between them to receive the skate-runner, (shown in Fig. 3 and lettered 3 and thus these wings e 6 will form spring-guides to hold the skate-runner and sharpening device in proper relative positions, and if their spring adjustment is not sufficient for any especially wide or narrow runner they may be readily bent to proper positions to embrace the runner.

In the scissors-sharpener, as shown, the material of the holder is cut or slit at the top, and is cut away downward in the sides a sufficient depth to clear the upper surface of the abrading-plate, and the top portions are bent downward to form flanges f and g, (see Fig. 6,) and thus a groove is formed having a substantially vertical wall 011 one side and an inclined wall on the other side, these side walls being formed by the edges of the sides and by the bent flanges or wings from the top of the holder and serving as guides to the scissors-blade (shown in Fig. 5 and lettered at) as such scissors-blade is being drawn across the surface of the abradin g-plate,and the inclined wall being at such an angle as to permit the scissorsblade to be held in the angular position required for the sharpest or most acute bevel of scissors for which the sharpening device is designed.

In the scissors-sharpener the abradingplate is preferably held at a slight inclination in the holder, and to this end the grooves d cl are slightly inclined from the horizontal, as shown, so that when a scissors-blade is held in vertical position and against the vertical wall of the groove the edge will be ground at a slight bevel. To provide a large bearin gsurface along the vertical wall, the flange f, bent downward from the top at this place, extends nearly'to the surface of the abradingplate, and in the sharpening operation the scissors-blade will be pressed against this vertical wall, and therefore such large bearingsurface is desirable. The flange g, extending downward at the inclined wall of the groove, extends downward only a sufficient distance to brace the top edge of the groove, and thus the groove is open between the inclined edges of the sides of the holder, so that a curved scissorsblade maybe readily sharpened upon the tool.

The box or holder 1) of the scissors-sharpener is made of sufficient length to be readily grasped by one hand of the operator, and when the sharpener is to be used it may be placed upon a flat surface, as of a table, and firmly held against said surface by one hand of the operator, while the other hand of the operator is employed in grasping the scissorsblade and drawing it through the groove of the sharpener and over the upper surface of IIO the abrading-plate. It is to be noted that the operator in thus grasping the holder tends to press its spring sides inward, thus tightening the grip of these sides upon the abradingplate. This is the preferred operation, although it is evident that the sharpening-tool may be otherwise manipulated.

The skate-sharpener is shown as provided with a handle 71, and therefore the box Z) is usually of much smaller dimensions than in the scissors-sharpener. The preferred operation in the use of this sharpener is that of pushing the sharpener over the lower surface of the skate-runner, with the lower surface of the abrading-plate in contact with the runner, the skate being supported bottom upward in any suitable manner. As the lower surface of the skate-runner is usually a curved surface, it is desirable to have the sharpener adjust itself to this curvature, and this is provided by a pivotal connection between the holder b and handle 7L, and I provide a hood '2', extending upward from the holder to receive the end of the handle, and a suitable pivot-pin .7 CXtending through the walls of the hood '1 and through the handle it, and this hood is shaped so that it will come in contact with the handle and act as a stop thereto in two extreme positions. Thus the holder Z) and abrading-plate CL, carried thereby, will have a limited swinging movement relatively to the handle as the sharpener is pushed over the surface of the skate-runner, and the abrading-plate will adjust itself to the curvature of the skate-runner. It will be observed that the handle N swings in a plane parallel to the direction of movement or line of contact of the abrading-plate and the article to be sharpened, and thus the swinging movement of the abrading-plate as it adjusts itself to the curvature of the skaterunner does not vary its uniform contact across the width of the bottom of the runner. Thehood 2 is shown as extendingpartly down in rear of that side of the holder whichis the rear side when the skatesharpener is pushed forward over the skate-runner to brace or stilfen that side, as above mentioned, thus preventing any possible loosening of the abrading-plate to within the holder Z) when the holder is pushed over the skate-runner.

The sharpening operation frequently produces a slight bur on the side edges of the lower surface of a skate-runner, but this may readily be removed by the sharpener, it being only necessary to adjust the abrading plate a so that it protrudes at one side of the holder 1), and when thus adjusted the holder may be placed so that the abradingsurface is in contact with a vertical side of the skaterunner and the side of the holder is in contact with the lower surface of the runner, and the sharpener may then be pushed along the runner with the effect of removing the bur. This operation may be repeated with the abrading-surface in contact with the other vertical side of the runner, and thus both side edges will be finished.

It is of course evident that various modifications may be made in the constructions shown in the drawings and above particularly described, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to such specific constructions; but

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a sharpening device the combination with a holder having a guide for the article to be sharpened, of an abrading-plate held in said holder and capable of adjustment therein across theline of contact of the abrading-plate and article to be sharpened, so as to bring different parts of an abrading-surface into operative position, part of said holder constituting a spring the manipulation of which permits the abrading-plate to be adj usted within the holder, substantially as set forth.

2. In a sharpening device the combination with a holder of a longitudinally-adjustable abrading-plate in said holder, said holder being provided with a transverse opening permitting contact of the abrading-plate and the article to be sharpened and relative movement of the sharpener and article transversely of the holder, and part of said holder constituting a spring whereby said plate is ad j ustably held in place, substantially as set forth.

3. In a sharpening device the combination with a holder of a longitudinally-adjustable abrading-plate in said holder, said holder having longitudinal grooves at its sides in which said abrading-plate is held, and one of the sides of the holder constituting a spring by the manipulation of which the abradingplate may be adjusted, substantially as set forth.

et. In a sharpening device, the combination with a holder having a guide for the article to be sharpened and an abrading-plate held in said holder, of a handle pivoted on the holder so as to swing in a plane substantially parallel to the line of contact of the abradingplate and the article to be sharpened, and a stop to limit the swinging movement of the handle, substantially as set forth.

5. In a sharpening device the combination with a holder of an abrading-plate held in said holder, said holder being provided with an opening permitting contact of the abradin g-plate and the article to be sharpened, and with spring-wings forming guides about said opening and a handle joined to said holder, part of said holder constituting a spring by the manipulation of which the abrading-plate may be adjusted within the holder, substantially as set forth.

0. In a sharpening device the combination with a holder of a reversible abrading-plate in said holder, said holder having longitudinal guides at its sides in which said abradingplate is held and one of the sides of the holder constituting a spring by the manipulation of which the abrading-plate may be adjusted or reversed, and said holder having a transverse opening and guides about said opening permitting contact of the article and abradingplate and relative movement of the sharpen er and article transversely of the holder, substantially as set forth.

7. In a sharpening device the combination with the holder 1) of the abradingplate a hold therein, said holder having; longitudinal grooves d, (Z, at its sides in which said plate is held, and one of the sides of said holder 1) constituting a spring by the manipulation of which the abrading-plate a may be adjusted, and said holder 1) having a transverse opening permitting contact of the abrading-plate and article to be sharpened and having spring-wings e, c, about said opening, substantially as set forth.

8. In a sharpening device the combination with the holder 1), of the abrading-plate a held therein, said holder having longitudinal grooves d, (1, formed in its sides in which said said holder, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 21st day'of May, 1895.

PRESTON VILLIS STRONG. In presence of HENRY D. WILLIAMS, HERBERT H. GIBBS. 

